


Postbellum

by anthologia



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics), Robin (Comics), Superboy (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Brain Programming, Broken Bones, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Mind Control, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Past Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 16:27:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5463311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anthologia/pseuds/anthologia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I don’t know if you’ve heard, but some bald asshole with a Kryptonian chip on his shoulder attacked my friends and almost took my boyfriend away from me. It hasn’t been my best month.”</p><p>Kon – cautiously, carefully puts his arm around Tim's shoulders, with only just enough pressure to be considered a hug. “Sounds sucky.”</p><p>Set after the events of the "Superboy's Birthright" Teen Titans arc.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Postbellum

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my h/c bingo card.
> 
> For background, the "Superboy's Birthright" arc, starting with Teen Titans v3 #24, is about Lex Luthor activating some programming he'd left in Kon's brain that allows him to take control of Kon's body. He uses it to attack the Titans and breaks Tim's right arm pretty badly in the process.

Back when they were all just kids, he kind of thought Robin was untouchable. He knew, in theory, that she was human and could be hurt like any other human, but at the same time, it was like she was as impregnable as him or Cassie, because she was _Robin_.

He kind of has the opposite problem, these days. He looks at her and sees fragile, breakable bones, hears the sound they made as they snapped under his hands. Even if it wasn’t _him_ in charge (and is that better? Really? At least if it had been him, he wouldn’t have just been the world’s most dangerous puppet), his body knows how easy it is to break her. And he can’t forgive it for that.

Apparently, Tim _can_ , because despite the fact that he’s told her over and over that she should just get the hell away from him and not come back, she still keeps showing up at the Kents’ door. Every time, Ma lets her in and gives her an update on how he’s doing, like he can’t hear them from inside his room. She’ll knock on his door, and he won’t answer, and then eventually she’ll go away and they’ll start it all over again in a few days.

Except this time, instead of leaving, he hears her huff and fumble something in her hands before inserting it into the lock. She’s trying to break into his room – no, screw _trying,_ she’s _Robin_. It’s only a matter of time before she gets it, so he might as well open the door himself.

Her arm is still in the cast, held securely in place. He can’t stop himself from using x-ray vision for a few seconds to check on it, and it’s – it’s healing well. There’s multiple fractures, but they’ve all been set correctly. It’ll take… maybe another month or more before it’s okay to remove the cast.

(Somewhere in the back of his head, he hears her agonized scream when he’d wrenched her arm behind her back, feels how easily her bones had crunched together under his hands. He kind of wants to throw up.)

“It wasn’t your fault,” she says.

“Tim…”

“It _wasn’t your fault._ ” She pushes past him into his room without waiting for permission, and he flinches away from her, like just coming into contact with him would be enough to hurt her again. “I could _prove_ it if you wanted. If you thought that would help.”

“I hurt you.”

“ _Luthor_ hurt me.”

He tears his eyes away from her cast. “How is that better? Any time, he could’ve just flipped a switch and taken over my body.”

“Mind control isn’t _that_ uncommon, Kon.” She glances around the room, which isn’t exactly in the best shape since he’s been hiding in it most of the time he wasn’t in school or doing chores, before gingerly sitting down on the edge of his bed, next to the bunched-up quilt Ma made him. A month ago, having Tim on his bed would have been pretty much the best thing that could possibly happen. “Technically, there’s any number of people who could ‘flip a switch’ and take over _my_ body.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“Did you _want_ to hurt me?” she asks, bluntly. “At any point, did you think ‘Tim, that bitch, the way she wears bright colors inexplicably outrages me, I should break her arm’?

 _Jesus._ “Of _course_ not.”

“I rest my case. Give me your hand.”

It’s halfway through the air before his brain even registers the words. Before he can retract it, she grabs it, and he can’t – he just lets it go limp, because a part of him is terrified of hurting her again if he fights her even a little bit.

She examines it for a moment before placing it on her uninjured shoulder. “See? You’re not hurting me.”

He should, he _should_ take his hand away, move so he won’t – he’s _missed_ her, though, and his hand doesn’t want to listen to orders to back off.

“It’s okay.” Her voice is softer, now. Gentler. “Kon, it’s _okay_. You’re not going to break me. I trust you.”

It goes against everything he’s been trying to _do_ these past few weeks by isolating himself, but he’s _stupid_ , has always been stupid around her. He kisses her like she’s fragile, like the slightest force will shatter her, and she sighs into his mouth and tangles her good hand in his hair.

He’s a little scared to say anything after that and ruin the moment, but – “I’m not going back to the Titans.”

“I know.” She grabs his hand again and tugs on it until he sits on the bed next to her, so she can settle her head against his shoulder. “I just want you stop avoiding _me_. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but some bald asshole with a Kryptonian chip on his shoulder attacked my friends and almost took my boyfriend away from me. It hasn’t been my best month.”

He – cautiously, _carefully_ puts his arm around her shoulders, with only _just_ enough pressure to be considered a hug. “Sounds sucky.”

“Mm-hmm.” She lets out a quiet sigh and nuzzles her cheek against his chest. “I’ve been subjecting myself to his mother’s amazing but possibly sedative-laced cooking on a semi-regular basis since then and I’m about to pass out from pie overdose, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go back into hiding while I’m unconscious.”

He has to steady her with a little TTK because his shoulders are shaking with the laugh that wants to come out and he doesn’t want to jostle her. “I won’t.”

“Good,” she says, and lets her eyes slip shut.

**Author's Note:**

> If you are interested in my fics and want more, I have an account at syntactition.tumblr.com where I have bits of stories that are currently in the works and other ficlets and stories that haven't made their way to AO3.


End file.
